Using the PlayStation 3 Controller
Ever since the PS3 platform was released (Japan: 2006-11-11; USA: 2006-11-17; Europe: 2007- 03-23) there has been speculation as to whether its wireless controller, dubbed “SIXAXIS [http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_3_accessories#Sixaxis]“, could be used in non-gaming applications. It is already known [http://ps3.jim.sh/sixaxis/usb/] that the SIXAXIS operates as a regular HID device in USB mode. Since it is being marketed as a Bluetooth device, it was fair and legitimate to expect it to also work with any Bluetooth-compliant computer, just like the Wiimote. This document explains how to configure Linux to recognize the SIXAXIS as a Bluetooth HID device.
These instructions are not endorsed by Sony. There is no guarantee that you will not damage your SIXAXIS or your PS3 by following them. The use of Bluetooth authentication and encryption has not been investigated yet. Running in non- secure mode, as described in this document, might be inappropriate for some applications, and may also make the host computer temporarily vulnerable to attacks.
At the time of writing, mainstream Linux distributions do not explicitly support the SIXAXIS in wireless mode. Hence, the following customizations are required.
- linux-2.6.21 [http://kernel.org/] or later . Earlier kernels do not support Bluetooth HID devices in “Report Protocol” mode.
- patch-hidd-3.9-pabr3 or patch-hidd-3.19-pabr3 . This patch causes the Linux Blue- tooth HIDP daemon (hidd) to send a special command to the SIXAXIS when it con- nects. Sony already published a similar patch [http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/lin- ux-2.6.git;a=commitdiff;h=4a1a4d8b87389e35c3af04c0d0a95f6a0391b964] for enabling reporting in USB mode.
- sixpair.c. (Only required if the SIXAXIS is to be used with a non-PS3 Bluetooth master.) The SIXAXIS apparently does not support the standard Bluetooth pairing procedure; instead, pairing is done over USB, which is arguably simpler and more secure. This command-line utility searches USB buses for SIXAXIS controllers and tells them to connect to a new Bluetooth master.
Using the PlayStation 3 Controller
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